Knitting-machine.



No. 720,405. PATBNTED FEB. 10, 1903 H. CLARKE. KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1901.

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H. CLARKE. KNITTING MACHINE.

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No 720,405. PATENTED FEB. 10,1903

H. CLARKE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1. 1901. '10 MODEL. 3 sHEnTs-snfim s.

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, lzy/zw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY CLARKE, OF NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 720,405, dated February 10, 1903. Application filed July 1, 1901. Serial No. 66,759. (No modehl To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY CLARKE, hosiery manufacturer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 12 The Chase, Nottingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in knitting-machines for very small tubular work, such as boot-laces, fancy cords, and the like. In these machines great trouble has arisen in using fine orglazed yarns on account of momentary strains on them leading to cutting and breakage. To obviate this, I employ a machine constructed and operating as will be clearly understood by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figures 1 and 2 are elevations at right angles to one another. Fig. 3 is a central section of the needle-cylinder and yarn-feeders to a slightly larger scale. Fig. 4 shows to a larger scale the guides for delivering the threads to the needles. Fig. 5 is an end view showing a three-armed friction-spring acting on the spool or beam on which the threads are wound. Fig. 6 is a plan of. the springtension fingers for putting a yielding tension on the yarn. Fig. 7 shows the latch-ring and the arm carrying the same. Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively an edge view and an inner side view showing one of the'yielding springtension fingers. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the arrangement for giving an intermittent step-by-step motion to the parts. Figs. 11 to 14 show the knitting action, and Figs. 11 and 12 are plan views of Figs. 11 and 12.

Referring mainly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a is the needle-cylinder, which has a series of deep radial slits or tricks a and is seated on a central screw-pillar a on which it can be raised and lowered slightly by a nut a This nut is prevented from turning accidentally by a brake-spring (t pressing into the milling.

1) represents the needles, which are of the usual latch type, but have Wide jacks b with parallel edges, from which project butts 12 The needles are surrounded by a spiral wire coil 12 which helps to keep them together.

c c are sliding rings or collars between which the butts b fit, so that they are moved upand down thereby. These are held together by bolts 0, passing through lugs 0 d d are eccentric-rods which transmit motion to the collars c and thereby to the needles from a pair of eccentrics d.

e is the main shaft of the machine. It is driven by a handle e or by fast and loose pulleys e provided with a belt-shifter e f is a disk on the shaft (2, which has an olfset or wing-piece f. This disk enters the teeth of a wheel f which drives, as hereinafter described, the rotary thread-guides. Each time the wing-piece f, Fig. 10, comes around it revolves the wheel one tooth; but all the rest of the time the wheel is at rest.

9 is the yarn-feeder platform. It is driven by the train f f fifl from the wing-disk f, and its movements are steadied by frictionsprings g, acting on a flange g It represents the rotary yarn or thread guides which converge in a downward direction, Fig. 4, and are carried, Fig. 3, on a plate It on ahollow stem 77. These guides are equal in number to the needles, so that there are as many threads as there are needles. The stem 7& is fast in a boss h formed on a cross-arm 71, Figs. 1 and 2, supported on side pillars 77. on the revolving platform g.

irepresents thespring-tension fingers, of which there is one to each of the guides h. Their flexibility is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 8. They are carried by a disk 2', secured to the cross-arm h, and have guideeyes i in their lower ends, the thread passing to these eyes through corresponding eyes i in the disk 71.

j is the spool or beam on which the threads are wound. It is termed a beam because it is wound like a warp-beam in other kinds of textile machinerythat is to say, the threads j are all wound upon it together, not separately, and are drawn from it simultaneously. This introduces a great simplification of the machine, as a single spool takes the place of a large number. The rotation of the spool is restrained slightly by a three-armed friction-springf, and a nut j is provided whereby the spool can be screwed along its spindle more or less toward the said spring, thus varying the friction or grip,

and consequently regulating the tension on the yarns. The spindlej' slides up and down a stem on the revolving cross-arm h" and can be clamped at any desired height bya setscrew 7a is the latch-ring for insuring the proper action of the needle-latches. It is carried by an arm 7c, extending from a pillar 7.3 on the table g. Thus as the machine works the latch-ring revolves around the needles.

Z is a central rod extending down to the top of the needle-cylinder and carrying at its lower end a bulb or enlargement Z, which almost closes the top of the needle-cylinder, leaving only enough space for the work to pass down, so keeping the work properly distended. From the bulb Z extends a wire Z terminating in another bulb Z. The work encircles this wire and passes down around it, being distended, so as to open its meshes before it passes to the take-up arrangement.

on is the frame of the take-up, which is carried by an arm on. The said take-up is of any suitable construction and forms no part of the invention. It is driven by an interchangeable worm and wheel m m from a bevel-pinion m on the shaft e.

The action is as follows: As the shafte revolves the cams (1 drive the collars 6 up and down. Thus all the needles rise simultaneously and form a complete course at a single operation. In doing this each needle rises from the position shown in Fig. 11 through the loop last formed, and at the same time the guides it move around one step to stretch the next thread in front of the needle. (See Fig. 12.) Then the needles descend and knit in the ordinary way, Figs. 13 and let. The guides h, together with the platform 9 and the parts mounted thereon, move under the action of the wingf on the disk f; but while the knitting is actually taking place they are at rest, as only the plain part of the disk is in engagement with the wheel f Should any undue tension come on one of the threads, its spring-finger i immediately yields and assumes the inner dotted position, Fig. 8, thus relieving such strain instantly. The normal position of the fingers is that shown in full lines, the outer dotted position being that assumed when taking up slack. The work as produced is drawn down by the take-up arrangement and passes thence into a basket or the like in the usual way.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a circular-knitting machine, the combination of a stationary needle-cylinder having deep radial tricks, needles working in said tricks, means for operating said needles, means for supplying a separate yarn to each and all of the needles, and means for causing said yarns to travel around the machine step by step between each knitting action.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a stationary needle-cylinder with deep tricks, a series of needles fitting in said tricks, a yarn-guide and spring-tension finger to each needle, sliding collars surrounding said cylinder, butts on the needles engaging in said collars, means for operating said collars, and means for causing the aforesaid guides and tension-fingers to travel around with a stepby-step motion between each knitting action, substantially as described.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a series of needles, a needle-cylinder carrying the same, sliding collars surrounding the said cylinder, butts on the needles engaging said collars, means for causing said collars to slide up and down and actuate all of said needles simultaneously, rotary yarn-guides equal in number to said needles, a spool revolving with-said guides, flexible spring-tension fingers arranged one to each guide, and means for operating all the needles simultaneously and rotating the guides, spool and tension-fingers, step by step, substantially as described.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a needle-cylinder,ncedles working therein, butts on said needles, sliding collars on said needle-cylinder engaging said needle-butts, a revolving shaft, eccentrics on said shaft, eccentric-rods for transmitting the motion from said eccentrics to said needle-actuating collars, a set of revolving yarn-feeding devices, a disk on the shaft of the machine, a Wingpiece on said disk, a gear-wheel in engagement with said disk and actuated by said Wing-piece, a train of Wheels communicating motion from said gear-wheel to said rotary yarn-feeders,and means fordriving said shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a needle-cylinder, a series of needles carried thereby, sliding rings in engagement with said needles, a main shaft and means for operating the same, eccentric mechanism for operating said rings,a series of yarn-guides and spring-tension fingers one for each needle, a spool for-supplying the same with yarn, a revolving platform carrying said guides and associated parts, gearing for driving said platform, and a wing-disk on the aforesaid main shaft for moving said platform one step at a time while the needles are at rest, substantially as described.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a series of needles, a stationary cylinder carrying the same, sliding rings for raising and lowering the needles, means for operating said sliding rings, yarn-feeders for supplying a thread to each needle, a platform carrying said yarn-feeders, a latch-ring carried by an arm on said platform, means for moving said platform step by step, and brakespriugs for steadying said movements, substantially as described.

7. In a knitting-machine, the combination of a series of needles, means for operating ICO Ion

the same simultaneously, a needle-cylinder and means for adjusting the height of the I In testimony whereof I have hereunto set same, yarn-feeding devices and means for remy hand, in presence of two subscribing Witvolving the same step by step, a, central rod nesses, this 21st day of June, 1901.

with a lower bulbed end for distending the HENRY CLARKE. work, and a wire with a similar bulb for Witnesses: again distending the Work before it enters C. BARNARD BURDON,

the take-up, substantially as described. WALTER J. SKERTEN. 

